The field of the therapeutic use of creative writing is here explored on two levels. In part one representative practitioners provide an overview of current work in the field, including the uses of the various genres of creative writing from poetry to autobiography and literary fiction. This section also contains many practical suggestions for writing techniques which can be used for personal development, whether working with writers' groups of with the client groups in health care and social services. The second part of the book explores the theoretical background to the therapeutic uses of creative writing. Representing a wide range of different approaches, the contributors provide an introduction to thinking about the practice of creative writing in a personal development context as well as including suggestions for further reading.